Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers Documentary

I was thrilled to discover this morning that a documentary has been made about Phillipe Petit's amazing tightrope walk between the towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974.

You may know Petit's name from Mordecai Gerstein's Caldecott winning picture book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. And if you don't know the book, give it a try. It sums up Pettit's incredible feat perfectly and succinctly and it's my favorite picture book.

For more about the documentary and Phillipe Petit, see David Segal's article "Traversing the Towers In a Moment of Joy" in today's Washington Post. The film is currently playing at the Tribeca Film Festival. I can't wait until it comes to a theater near me.

As for finding out more about the story, you should definitely check out Petit's book entitled: To Reach the Clouds: My High Wire Walk Between the Twin Towers. It gives all the details behind the planning, the failed attempt, and the successful wire walk. Plus, the pictures are extraordinary.

It's out of print, but it's readily available in lots of libraries and there are used copies available through Amazon Martketplace and Powells. Here's the ISBN to look for: 0865476519.